http://www.todayonline.com/Hotnews/EDC130113-0000046/Police-looking-into-ST-publication-of-by-election-poll
The police is looking into the Straits Times' publication of the findings of a poll on the Punggol East by-election, said the Elections Department today.
The article, headlined "ST poll: More rooting for PAP", had polled 50 Punggol East residents on which party they were rooting for in the by-election and was published on Jan 10
Under the Parliamentary Elections Act, publishing the results of any election survey from the day the writ of election is issued until the close of all polling stations on polling day is not allowed. The writ of election was issued on Jan 9.
Since the article was published, netizens have questioned the legality of the report in online forums and social media.
In response to TODAY, Editor of The Straits Times Warren Fernandez said: "Our reporters spoke with residents in Punggol East to get their comments and a sense of the ground for our election reports. This was not a full-scale survey, or scientific poll, by any means.
"The headline for our story overstated the significance of the information gathered by calling it a poll. We are sorry for this lapse."
The penalty for contravening the Parliamentary Act is a fine not exceeding S$1,500 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or both.
No comments:
Post a Comment